It’s days like today I really wish I could listen to music at work. We used to be able to, and then one day I was told that it was no longer an option. I blame the intern who used to listen with really huge headphones. Blah on you, intern. Because of you, days like today are far more difficult to deal with. On the positive side, however, I am way less tempted to sing at work. Which happens more often than you’d think. (The temptation to sing, not the actual singing. Nobody wants to hear that.)

William Congreve said it best when he said, “Music hath charms to soothe a savage breast, to soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak.” And when people frustrate me, it’s always music that can make it all better. Today, for instance, I had to deal with some not smart people. Well, to be fair, I don’t know if it’s particularly that they weren’t smart, or that they just did things in a strange order that didn’t make sense to me. A week after I sent a report, they told me it was not right. Of no fault of my own. But the report was apparently wrong, or so they said, and they waited a week (after they’d already invoiced us for the report I’d sent) to tell me this. UGGGH. I so wanted some death metal today. I know it sounds a little counterintuitive, but when I am in a bad mood, and I listen to aggro music like that, it somehow calms me down. I needed that.

There are other times, however, when it would just put me in a worse mood, and it’s those times I need something a little more calm. Preferably something with a very positive message, like happy Jesus loves you type messages. Because I have to be reminded sometimes that Jesus loves me. And the people I’m mad at. Especially the people I’m mad at.

I’m really bummed I don’t have that release anymore. Instead, today, I went off in a huff to my friend Rich’s desk and complained. Which is probably not the best use of my time. But at least it was after hours, so I wasn’t cutting into actual work time. But it was still complaining, and I need to quit complaining.

Soon as I got home I switched to the death metal. And slowly worked myself down the mellow track to Sufjan Stevens’s Michigan album. Which is where I am now. And the worries of my day are somewhere in Pickerel Lake? Pigeon? Marquette? Mackinaw? (Da da da da da da…)